Cruisers Donate Eye Glasses

Two boats with strong connections to the charity organization Sea Mercy visited the Marshalls this past cruising season. Yachties Johnathon Robinson and his wife Donna arrived on their boat Chez Nous while Nigel Skeggs and his wife Susan and their two daughters came in on their yacht Unique.

Nigel is the Director at Port Denarau Marina in Fiji and that marina partners with Sea Mercy, which is
a volunteer charity. It focuses on disaster relief in the region, bringing medical and dental professionals to remote islands in need (in cooperation with local Ministries of Health), and the sight and light program which brings eye glasses mostly for reading but also for distance vision.

The reading eye glass kit is bought by cruisers and contains 120 pairs of glasses and comes with everything needed for untrained cruisers to run clinics. It is a great option for cruisers who want to “sail with a greater purpose” as their slogan goes. Johnathon said that when you see the smile on people’s faces you know they are getting close to the right pair of glasses. The glasses enable people to continue with their fine handicrafts and reading and Johnathon estimates that about 20 percent of those tested benefit from the glasses.